Kindling spirit of science among kids

VADODARA: If Man is superior, Nature is supreme, is the message conveyed in ‘Darshan do Prakruti Ma’, a science drama, which earned the participants an opportunity to represent the western zone at the Centre-sponsored National Science Drama Festival, to be held in Bangalore, in September, this year.
This science drama festival, which is an effort by the Centre to inculcate the spirit of science among children and the youth, through music, dance and drama, is being conducted by the Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai since the last 11 years.The festival based on science themes is held in state, zonal and national levels.
This prize-winning drama, ‘Darshan do Prakruti Ma’ staged by a team representing the Narmadanagar Community Science Centre (NCSC) in Bharuch, depicts the imbalance in nature caused due to human intervention.
The drama highlights the ill effects of deforestation, hunting and improper garbage disposal. And finally, Man seeks an apology from Mother Nature and calls for the need to make amends in order to restore the environment.
If the NCSC team comprising Kaustubh Desai, Ali Asgar Vilayatwala, Yash Sharma, Heli Amin, Pratik Adalaja, Binal Upadhyaya, Pooja Patel and Aadesh Khanna were selected to represent Western zone in the national festival, 11-year-old Ali Asgar Vilayatwala won the ‘best actor’ award in zonals, which saw participation from 10 teams.
“It is a feather in the cap of NCSC, which has been striving to spread the message of science among the masses through workshops, ‘Meet the Scientist’ programmes, educational tours, training for science teachers, science festivals and science-based cultural programmes,� says Jayalekshmy Ayyer of NCSC.